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104-10095-10276] - | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
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MEMORANDUM FOR: DIREC

SUBJECT

oe In May 1959, the New Chine. News Agezicy (NCMA) opened.

-an office in Havana in the El Medico Building which is occupied .- :
_ partly by business concerns And partly used. for residential. apart-..

“ments. Shortly thereafter, the Havana’ Station obtain ed the con- *
currence of Ambassador Bonsal and Miss Carolyn O, Stacey, an

Embassy employee, to mount an audio operation against NCNA through ocr
the wall of the adjacent apartment in which Mises: Stecey Hved. In

November 1959, the FE Division sent one case officer end ene TSD
technician to Havana, and the installation of a microphone andtape
recorder was completed in Miss Stacey's apartmext on 29 November -
1959. ; °

—

oe By Jane 1960, it ha a become Svident that two cther rooms |”
occupied by NCNA possibly houzed communication equipment and o-oo T
= Division

wera used for conferences, At that time Bryan Mills
_ ease officer, went to Havana and explored th

the operation, He managed to lease a

NONA office, and arranged for a stay-beb

oe 3. In August "1960, a team of three 2S SD technicians “who were

in Havana on a separate SR Division operation agreed to install the. © 4.
additional equipment required-for the NGNA operation, A second FE. |
‘Division case officer, Robert Neet, came down to Havana; and he,:
together with the technicians, installed a probe microphone and tape ce

recorder in the apartment obtained by Milla cver the NCNA office. se
About this time the equipment was removed from Miss Stacey's -
apartment, with the exception of the plastic probe which was left ar
in the wall and plastered over.

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told that access to her apartment was needed fox photograph

and security would work against holding indefinitely the lease to.

- eancelling, sub-lessors' contracts ‘and recalling leases... It was,:
- therefore, decided to install transmitters and switches in order
' permit continued monitoring of the target ifom a distant listening -
. poste’ a ensnan tea se . ren

- David L, Christ {alias Carswell), Walter E.- Szuminski {alias -.

_ then sent to work on the instatlation of the transmitters in the apart- .

Pe

" §-E-G-R-E-T one ae

4, Asan additional security precaution to provide @ gafe ~ 7 ae -
haven, and after consultation with the Acting Chief of Station, 4 key os.
to an apartment in the same building leased by Mrs. Marjorie ge et

Lennox, an Embassy secretary, Was obtained, Mrs, Lennox was chee

surveillance purposes. ..”-

“The Station was

‘then faced with'the ‘probability that time

the apartment over -NCNA since the owners.of tae building were -

other three.-man in tearn.of TSD techni . nicians consisting of

Taransky) and Thornton J. Anderson {alias Danbrunt} documented — .
as tourists had been sext to Havana to install audio equipment in the- ee
Chinese Nationalist. Embassy pefore it was due to be turned over to So
the Chinese Coramunits.. This operation aborted, This team was -- ~~

ment over the NGNA office. oa

6, At 2400 hours on 14 September, Christ, who withthe
other technicians was working in the target apartment, failed to keep
= scheduled appointment with Meet. At 0100 hours on the 15th of >
September, the apartment of Mrs, Lennox was entered into and. ot
searched by Guban authorities, ‘and.she was taken into custody. -AE Le --
1540 hours’ on 15 September, Neet, the stay-benind agent and bis wife-* 7 -
were picked up by the Cuban authorities and detaines. te EN Ege

7. AS of today the agent remains in the ‘custody of the Cuban

: authorities. His wife bas been released and is still in Havana,  Neet —_

was released.1715 hours 16 Septermber and has sudsequently returned... ~
to Washington where be is being debriefed... Mrs. Lennox was +. boat
subsequently released and has also returned to Washington where she -_
ig being debriefed, The three TSD technicians remain in confinement.” -
Thsy have been seen in confinement but not contacted by an Embassy

oZficer when he first attampted to secure the release of Mrs, Lennox, —

Christ was last se62 by Nest whe= they were jointiy interrogated

the morning of 15 September. At hat time Christ did not appear

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7 knowledge as-to why he was being held,): . “The: sub-lease for the #?*?
. apartment in which the men were caught is in the name of the stay- _ ween
penne agent with the original lease being in the names of Mills, the .. -

.Was unsuccessful, He was not Permitted to sea taem but was told.

. company consists of a telephone answering service and a name on , thé

. leaving: ‘Cuba as tourists since the £ illing out of the lending card +----+-*

to have been maltreated.

8. According to articles in the Guban ; papers ‘the three
technicians were arvested while in the apartment over the NCNA |
ofiice and completing the ‘installation of the equipment. The
press article adds that the key to Mrs, Lennox's apartment was SS
found on one Of. the technicians who idsntiz ted the apartment to -- a

which it belonged, AU Cuban press releases have referred to the
men by alias and. have not.identified them as Government or Agency _
mployees.. It is unclear at present what story had been: ‘agreed:
upos by the technicians and station personnel to be used in ‘thé éyent
they were caught, (While being interrogated with Neet, Christ
indicated that Neet was his boss, and Neet con sistently denied. any:

= Division Case Oificer. wre eee

9. Initial information indicated that the. three technicians would
be charged with espionage "against the people of China". Subsequent
press veleases have been unclear on this point,- An attempt by Consul
Hugh Kessler to contact the three men at 1730 hours on 17 September

they were in custody, ee ee ene

10, The three technicians travelled to Cuba a
very light commercial cover, two.of them wor} xing for aco in oo. s-
New York and the third, one in Baltimore, In each case the cover oe

door, Telephone messages. and mail 2re picked up periodically by an
Agency contract employee. The men were ‘provided with this cover ~

as well as unbackstopped rome addresses for use when entering or..._
requires this information. Subsequent to their detention the home- ~~
addresses have been partialiy backsto opped so-that-ingviries will =~) 07° -
indicate that someone with this alias name had Hved in the apartment
house in question, Insofar as the cover companies are concerned,

aiforts are being made to provide a backstop to withstand inguiries

from the press should the Cubans reveal this information. In view

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ef the thinness of the cover, it is uncertain whether this will succeed. -
ll, A cleared and witting law firm in New York has been briefed .
ty Mr, L. Houston on the situation with the tous’ bt that inguiries _..
received by the cover company could be referred to the firmof
lawyers from whom no comment would be ‘obtained by the press or.
other inguirers,. The law firm has been briefed on the entire situa-_
tion so that they may be in a position to set if any action by them es
appears desirable or feasible, It would not appear that much support
of any kind can be obtained from the law firm or the law firm ms in-
Cuba which are associated with! ‘ther a

“12, Insofar as ‘the families are concerned, one of the technicians

is a bachelor resertly on home leave between two tours in Japan,
His father, a. “cook in a diner in the Boston area, bas been cont tacted .

by the Gffice of Security, and he will get in touch with Security if

he receives any inquiries on this matter, Security, by the same -_

token, will keep in touch with him as the Cubans reveal their i inten-,

tions and course of action, = 7

13, The wives of the other two technicians have been told what
has happened and are being contacted at ieast once daily sy TSD —
staifers and their wives who have Been briefed on the sit reation. A :
conference with the two wives was
over the whole situation and deterza!
roblems on which the Agency cou
- _- the wives are telling their neighbo
, trip. This story will be adjusted
the Cuban Government takes, whet!
and whether recognizable photographs of the individuals
0° te the press, ‘The two wives so fer have taken vthe bad new!
"well. : a Lae ar

RUDOLPH E. GOMEZ

Acting Chiez, WH De es
Distribution: .
DCI -2 WH -3
DDCI - 1 , Pir. 3
BD/P-1 OSs -:
COPS -1 Cl. i

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. RELEASE CONTINCE CY OPLAY Sz-

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; CHART OR MAF REPLRESCE: oe re Be
Seetioral scrozauties) wracts: ay requar:3.
TASK OG ANTE ATION:

het. 1, 105th Opevats Louel Eut.asties ant Teadairg Group. Major ,
Billy B. GCarpbell, Dousenter.

1. SENUIATICN:

Becbeun’ (Akées) end Bdwrd

Dantol L. Curpyall (Midas), Rebaes F.
R. Teransxy (Allies) are TI) Sia E nen 125 tho vers eppreloanied by
Cuban autaorities £2 Senoeer ak IU and weo ere wi serving ten year teutea-,
ges. SPorte are: belag sade to aou-re. Theis sallanea. Stree their release
may ecsur witheut advenus novice at: “osha varloty oe? ploses, le. Hence,
Miaal, Mexico City, Sviteerlard, a eli, eti., Lt 26 imypersitve tant a.
coutirngencsy plex de Forshee ad be wagare fB% 2udare Dae 2 chess
emlcyees. ;

Tue vortreliiag factor in ali ciaste o¢ the rebease pre: eéure Ls

thit thers: enph cysts Vere dn Uyoe 1.dar obi and linet daring tae entire
rericd eiwe their axptere thedr ic 83a “sad ooryer oe és. epearectiy
pave tern medater ned, Thevevora Li is % gs nijensa bt

ential that tae
» kee spire te Agemy aoa
S guisEly ga puerie

catateined eutzgh susth t)22 Gu bose 20 oe
trol eed then have thegs ating afi is)
dle

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Por oe Laine parposes the cellecae peivte bil aa iewece, ‘Mes 29
Cisy or “other sreas” .

2. MESH. LON:

tet. aa ae Rota Operas: ened Ee aati
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36 aEuest | Yor Diack teqnapart should inside:

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4. Request that RELRASE CONTINGENCY OULAT 6242 be seplononted
2. Port of entry. Bee

3. Date, Local tine, ard aixflcld desired for as ope

h. Dasired destination.

 §. Other regrirements, Jeo, otretebers orb punks in the event
erbdjests are aspital Cased,

6. Nan, organization and Selephons somber of requesting perty- .

Le Jame end telepnore rmucaur of KUBFRIC ganteets et Jeating
and off-Loading ng poants.

o, Tas Pollewing per pereonuel sre wncuipagvanle ond chorsed with the
responsibility of netivating trie plor.:

i. Major Richaré. I: Skinner, an/psp/Bo/?
Organigetion: Air Support Divisio, DD m/P
Home Phone: JE 3-1405
Offiee Face: Sterile fenbors. pe 8.5285, EE 3-8535
Recensione 6862,75 S5b, 7307 ;
Rol Idee 1058

2. Me. Robert Nerrero *
Organization: Air Surpart pivisier, nb/e
Hore Phone: JA NeQtgs
Offiee Fhene: Same 25 2s.

3. Major Billy 3- Cabell, Commander, Tate i. ; :
Organization: Dat. 1, iC45%h Cperzt2.onal Bralze‘ion anil
Treiiing Creeps Eslinu Air Forse Base, Florida
Home Phone: 66273T 7
' Offlee Fhone: Ezlin Siz Fees Bes, Pieridae 631590

* he Major Kenseth R. Burten, O28 orgsear, I ‘Neb. Je.
Organization: Dat. 1, 3085" sh Cporstionel salvation ant
Proining Coteus, Betin Sy Fesee Bose, Florida.
Home Phone: 662154
-Offiee Facne: Eglin ¥oree Rese, Florida €31215

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D. Det, i. furnish 1 ¢-5% end rey 4n stentby cepectty until
further notice. BStanIby expactty is heroin defined as espability to

position the eirereft at any port of entry in east, - eouth er gsnuithyest:

U. S. from Easton to Los Angeles within 15 heurs.
8 Asevming the subjects will be relsased jn Havena cr Mexico

City, Bet. 1 wild Drezere mission Folders fcr flights Trem meat
provable porta of entry to Isalstien end Andrews Aly Fowea Base.

’ RECHARD I. SICINNER

Distribution:
Orag. & 1 - CI Stat?
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